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[Numb]

Well, it pretty much is. Only JoJo comes close. To bad HxH will never be finished.

Thus why i couldn't mention it
Also wanted to mention Berserk

 

[Frozenprince]

Thus why i couldn't mention it
Also wanted to mention Berserk

Berserk is soul crushing in it's quality because you know it'll never end.

 

[Sleight of Jam]

Yeah, read Hitman Reborn too.

Just re-watching this with my girlfriend, she hasn't seen it. I forgot how funny it is. Haven't actually finished the manga.

 

[Numb]

Berserk is soul crushing in it's quality because you know it'll never end.

Accepted it

Just re-watching this with my girlfriend, she hasn't seen it. I forgot how funny it is. Haven't actually finished the manga.

It has a terrible terrible ending
Even Kenichi is better

 

[Gormless Noodle]

Yeah, definitely. I know people like to hate on it since it's popular and the anime clouded their judgement, but the manga is really fantastic. I feel it doesn't overstay its welcome too much, the characters are great, the drama is good and the fights often amazing. Definitely worth a read if you like/love shonen stuff.

 

[Frozenprince]

Hitman falls into the "it ran for a while so I guess it's okay" camp, along with Fairy Tail (which is mostly about boobs), Toriko (which had one good arc), Soul Eater.

Not a whole lot of good battle manga despite how many there are.

 

[SalvaPot]

OP, read One Piece or Hunter x Hunter instead.

Or if you can, Gintama.

 

[The Cool One]

give berserk a read

Spoiler

and the people saying one piece is bad are crazy OP

also "Until Death Do Us Part" is really good

 

[Anteater]

it has a pretty good start, I dropped it somewhere in the middle

so just read it until you think it's starting to suck

 

[Unknown One]

I hope you like eyeballs and emos.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

I'm in the mood for a long shonen series to explore, with this terrible weather keeping me indoors more than usual.

Viz seems to have decent app for reading stuff on tablet, which is my preferred method of consuming manga these days. I don't mind picking physical omnibus compilations, but I like to save space these days. I never reread my physical collection anyway, so I donated most of them.

If there is another long running series that I'm missing out let me know.

Yes. I would without a doubt recommend it to you. Unique world with interesting lore, colourful and admirable cast of characters, good art, and ultimately a heartwarming story.

 

[TheRealTalker]

If you want Shonen and not Seinen like Berserk, VinLand Saga, and Kingdom them OP, Toriko, D.Gray Man, Gintama are great pics

Then there are a ton of completed series like Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, JoJo, Full Metal Alchemist, etc...


Plus some great anime adaptation to watch like ParaSyte, One Punch Man, and HXH 2011 which you can marathon through (MadHouse Studios)

 

[Crash Station]

Not the worst choice, but not the best either.

You want options, read this thread I made.

 

[SchrodingerC]

Disagree

the real peak of the manga is

Spoiler

Sasuke VS Itachi + Naruto VS Pain. We were quite amazed that this was so close, and after that the excellent flashback of Naruto birth

But

Spoiler

the problem of the Naruto vs Pain arc was the cop out ending. After all that destruction of the village and its people, Pain pulled a fast one and revived everyone.

Jiraiya didn't die for that shit.

Spoiler

The Naruto birth arc also had a problematic ending because of the reason Minato gave to why he had to die as well, or something to that extent.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Yes.


Great fun characters and cool characters.

 

[Earthanoid]

I vote yes, I enjoyed Naruto up until the last 5 volumes or so. It starts to go downhill with Shippuden IMO but it's still enjoyable, but it drags on at the end. Shippuden still isn't too bad, there are some good fights, but the overarching storyline gets old and lasts quite a long time. I'd say at least read up to the time skip, and keep going until you're bored.

 

[Heroman]

No, part of nartuo 1 is the shit but boy oh boy is part 2 garbage.

 

[Stat Flow]

No. Part 1 is mostly good. Part 2 is mostly shit. Part 2 is longer and way more bloated so it hampers the entire experience. Not to mention, even though Part 2 doesn't retroactively ruin Part 1, it does make Part 1 feel a lot less worth it.

 

[striferser]

i 2nded Jojo recommendation. You can't go wrong with Jojo.
Note: I enjoy part 1 Naruto, 2nd part (post timeskip) not so much.

 

[TalonJH]

I read it instead of finishing the amine. All the filler in the anime was a turn off.

 

[Starsailor]

HBO really need to do a Fullmetal alchemist adaptation.
Or Showtime or AMC whatever...

It's possible guys. The dream can be real

 

[Poodlestrike]

Eh... not really. It's sort of a mess towards the end. There are definitely better shonen series out there. Viz doesn't seem to have Full Metal Alchemist, which is a shame, but it does have Kekkaishi. Give that a shot.

Other great stuff that Viz doesn't seem to have digitally includes Eyeshield 21. Print only, why.

 

[Namikaze1]

No. Pre time skip is good. Post time skip starts off not that great and is honestly not that good aside from two arcs. Hidan and Kakazu Arc is great. Pain Arc is my favorite of the post time skip arcs. Everything after it is downright terrible. Almost gave up on the manga midway in the War arc.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Part 2 is fantastic. The tonal shift from "rookie ninjas" to "Superpowered DBZ ninjas" might put some people off but part 2 has higher highs than part 1. Stick with it til the end.

 

[super-famicom]

Read Rurouni Kenshin. The manga is so much better than the anime.

 

[entremet]

Read Rurouni Kenshin. The manga is so much better than the anime.

I did see the anime of this, but knowing the arcs and such already, seems like I won't have much surprises.

I do want to revisit it again an will probably do that in manga form.

 

[super-famicom]

I did see the anime of this, but knowing the arcs and such already, seems like I won't have much surprises.

I do want to revisit it again an will probably do that in manga form.

They diverged after the Kyoto arc. You'll be in for a treat.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

If you plan to read just through to the end of Chunin exams, yes.

 

[fredrancour]

Eh. Maybe. It has its highs and lows. Some parts are among my most awesome manga memoreis by the end, but I wound up really sick of a few things about it by the end.

-The power creep made me enjoy it less over time. It was a lot more fun as a bunch of outmatched newbies barely getting by than it was as magical ninja dbz.
-the final arcs of the story felt like self-parody.
-The thematic note from early in the series of hard work overcoming natural privilege kind of gets ground into the dust as everyone without inherited superpowers or

Spoiler

magical reincarnation

(or both) eventually winds up irrelevant However, this bullet point is halfway between actual annoyance and hilariously endearing.


I do intend to give it a re-read eventually. there's one part a lot of people seem to really like that I remember hating at the time (it was

Spoiler

the pain arc

. It bored me to death in the manga but my anime-watching friends loved it) so when I get there I'm curious to see if my opinion changes. i'm also curious to see if I can objectively analyze it through the nostalgia, cause I enjoy writing and like to dissect stories i've been in love with at different points in my life to pick out what worked and didn't.

I'll always love the team 7 arc, chuunin exam, sasuke retrieval arc,gaara rescue arc, and hidan/kakuzu arc, as much as I occasionally talk badly about the series.

EDIT: Oh wait if you haven't read Rurouni kenshin, do that, it's the best.

 

[Laz-E-Boy]

If you think you'd like a series that goes from magician-like ninjas with some crafty fights with a cast of decently developed side characters to DBZ powerup fests with giant explosions, villains with mediocre backstories and laughable redemption, two main characters who become ridiculously overpowered while most of the developed side characters are ignored outside of some "blink and you'll miss them" appearances, and a final arc that was so fanservice heavy it may as well have been fanfiction


....then sure, go for it. Naruto is your anime/manga.

 

[Big One]

Not really. The first part of the manga is solid, while the second part really goes into shit. Literally the first few arcs of Part 2 Naruto are basically filler until the Pain arc, and that's the manga I'm talking about (anime is much much worse). The drop in Part 2 of Naruto is just as bad as the drop in quality the Star Wars prequels had from the originals.

One Piece is much much better, and the drop in quality from the timeskip is there but anyone who thinks it's worse than the drop in quality Naruto had is delusional. One Piece is still a consistently great series, and it's plotline is actively evolving without any of the retcon BS you get with Naruto.

But there's even better shonen than that. Series I recommended over Naruto:

Dragonball (I assume you've watched it already though)
One Piece
Yu Yu Hakusho
Hunter x Hunter
Fullmetal Alchemist (check out FMA: Brotherhood for anime version)
Jojo's Bizzare Adventure
Rurouni Kenshin

People already recommended those but I want to emphasize they're all great shonen series. But here's some I personally recommend:

Magi
Seven Deadly Sins
Ushio and Tora
Black Jack

Also do not recommend Bleach or Fairy Tail either.

 

[psynergylover]

Accepted it



It has a terrible terrible ending
Even Kenichi is better

both Kenichi and KHMR pissed me off

I'd say yes to naruto op, year1/pre-shippuden is great, Shippuden is good put really beomes a waling cliche imo; hidden destinies, out of nowhere power-ups/abililites(the last fight(s) are full of this)

and my personal opinion Naruto going out of his way to

Spoiler

save Sasuke

in part 2 and then is welcomed back into the village after

Spoiler

abondoning is village, joining Orichimaru who was responsible for attacking their village and indirectly killing the 3rd hokage, then joins Akatsuki; know for many egregious crimes suck as killing kages. tries to kidnap killer B/eight tailed beast, then he attepts to kill all 5 kages, killes konoha's sitting Hokage, still tries to destroy kohana during the war(bet lets face Hirashima would've kicked his ass if he said no) then tries to kill Naruto and recapture all other tailed beast.

the fact the he welcomed back to the village with no repercussions always bothered me

 

[Frozenprince]

I mean if you want a good battle manga, Hajime No Ippo is the dopest.

Also Kuroko, which is a battle manga disguised as a basketball manga.

 

[SoulUnison]

It starts out *really* strongly and then kind of meanders into one of those "tournament arcs," but it's still enjoyable.

At certain points I was just holding on because I'd been following the series since I was like 15 and I just wanted to know how it ends, but it's not one of the most popular shounen series ever for no reason, either.

 

[Dangansona]

I wonder if I am mistaken for agreeing to join the kids at one of the dorms in watching 5 Naruto episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

 

[Taruranto]

No, it's bad.

Even if you want to limit yourself to shounen, there are plenty of better stuff you can try. Check Togashi's works.

 

[entremet]

Picked up the first volume on Comixology.

Really fun so far!

Naruto himself is pretty charming and easy to root for. I knew about the time skip just from following anime/manga for so long, mostly via osmosis. But I haven't been spoiled, I think.

Shame about the quality drop, but that's pretty common in shonen, let's see how long I'll last with this one.

Thanks for the other recommendations as well.

 

[zswordsman]

No, it has a bit of fluff.

Read HunterxHunter instead hehehehe.

 

[Trickster]

Yes, as long as you stop when it reaches the timeskip. It nosedives real hard at that point

 

[Devil]

One Piece goes to shit once the second part begins. Why make him waste all that time.

No, it doesn't, not at all. If there is a quality dip at all (which there really isn't), it's by far not as big as Naruto's.

 

[Big One]

No, it doesn't, not at all. If there is a quality dip at all (which there really isn't), it's by far not as big as Naruto's.

Yeah honestly people have to be trolling. It isn't even a real comparison. Fishman Island is one of the weaker arcs of the series, but if that's considered "bad" then the best of Naruto must be the drizzling shits in comparison.

Dressrosa is fantastic.

 

[Rebel Leader]

For those who already read it

This is the universal fact:

Spoiler

Chūnin Exams Neji was right all along

 

[Sesha]

No. It's 700 chapters long, and quality starts dropping after only 100 chapters or so and gradually grows worse and worse. There's way more bad than good with Naruto. It's not worth the read at all. There's a very high chance you'll read through most of the series continually thinking "why is this dragging on so long", "why are these characters so annoying", and "when is *insert character* going to show up again".

I recommend Full Metal Alchemist, Flame of Recca, Hoshin Engi, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer or Kongou Banchou instead of you want a shonen manga to read. All of them are complete, reasonably long and more or less consistently enjoyable. There's also Seven Deadly Sins which is currently serialized.

I've also heard good things about Kekkaishi, Ushio and Tora, Magi and My Hero Academia as well, but I haven't read them.

 

[kswiston]

I tried to read through the series a year ago. Part 1 is great (well by shonen manga standards). Part 2 has its moments but is sttrreeeetched out way too long. I ended up giving up on the series by chapter 500 and something in the middle of the Ninja World War arc.

 

[tbd]

God, no. The only shonen worth getting into is One Piece, although the anime is pure dog shit.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Naruto starts out great and then spirals into awful, awful territory with one of the worst final arcs I've seen in a long running manga, and the worst final villain I've ever encountered in any manga ever. It even manages to ruin a lot of the good moments from the early parts of the series with retcons later on

 

[Ultra Numb]

Naruto starts out great and then spirals into awful, awful territory with one of the worst final arcs I've seen in a long running manga, and the worst final villain I've ever encountered in any manga ever. It even manages to ruin a lot of the good moments from the early parts of the series with retcons later on

I tend to call the last arc: "Part 3" - it went on and on and on and on!

 

[SolVanderlyn]

So much hate for part 2. Part 2 has some amazing characters and fights in it. Taka vs. Killer Bee, Jiraiya vs. Pain, an entire arc focused on a team other than Naruto's (Hidan/Kakuzu), Sasuke vs. Itachi... they're all top tier fights. Even the lowest low of the series (the war arc) has one of the best moments in the series (Sasuke

Spoiler

and Itachi

vs. Kabuto).

 

[NHarmonic.]

Do JoJo instead. Pretty much any long running shonen would be better then Naruto, except Bleach.



That 100 chapter long arc that was poorly put together with far too many characters, bad panel layouts, some truly awful designs (I've even defended Oda's designs before) and half the crew doing nothing?

It gave us God fucking Usopp. I mean, all that Saitama worship nowadays is no shit compared to him.

 

[213372bu]

No.

I say this as someone who actually read a couple arcs into what is considered Shippuden in the anime.

The original series has excellent scenes and was pretty good at that time.

But it is the literally the shining example of a manga that loses its track and becomes gutter trash. You will probably be fueled to just keep reading to see if it gets as good at some of the parts of the original.

Not only does the story lose focus , but the art becomes terrible. I'm talking like a literal scribble-esque overlay on artwork during fight scenes.

I also don't want to spoil the ending of the mainline series, but it goes into some beyond fan-fic levels of story in the last couple of arcs.

Such a shame...